Art of making shoes



July 13, 1937. J. KEEFER 2,086,558

ART OF MAKING SHOES Filed Sept. 16, 1935 Fig? 2.

, III) I m I Patented July 13, 1937 UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE ART OF MAKING SHOES Application September 16, 1933, Serial No. 689,753

19 Claims.

This invention relates-to the art of shoemaking and is disclosed herein by way of illustration with special reference to its applicability to the manufacture of shoes having flexible foreparts. The invention also relates to insoles and to methods of making them.

I-Ieretofore, many efforts have been made to produce shoes having flexible foreparts. In some cases-an insole has been skeletonized before it is applied, to the last by removing its central portion, so as'to provide a rim or welt of the insole material With an opening in the central portion of the forepart. It is not only difiicult to secure such an insole to a last bottom but also, when the upper is placed under tension and secured to the narrow rim, the reaction of the tensioned upper tends to distort the insole with the result that the lasted shape of the shoe is not maintained. Even if, as has also been proposed, the skeletonized forepart is reinforced and the-reinforcing material extended over the opening, this is not always effective to prevent distortion of the insole. due to the strain of the lasted upper, unless heavy reinforcing material 95 is employed, which material, in order to restore the flexibility of the insole, must be removed after the shoe is completed.

Objects of this invention are to facilitate the removal of the central portion of the insole after the lasting operation, and to utilize the central portion of the insole to take the stress of the lasted upper until the upper has become fatigued and set in its lasted condition, thus relieving the marginal portion of the insole from the initial lasting stress and preventing distortion of the shoe after the central portion of the in-' sole is removed.

Aspects of the invention relate to a method comprising severing the central portion of the 40 insole from its marginal portion while leaving the central portion attached to the sole by portions readily severable after the lasting operation, for example by a portion at the ball line of the shoe and. if desired, by a portion at the toe end of the shoe,v lasting the marginal po-r tions of the upper materials to the margin of the insole, utilizing the central portion of the insole to take the stress due to the reaction of the upper materials until the upper has become set in lasted. condition. then removing the central portion of the insole and attaching an outsole to. the shoe. Under some conditions the marginal portion of said outsole will be recessed toprovide aprojection in the central portion 5:, of. its, forepart to fill the opening formed in the insole. Under other conditions, for example when a round bottom or turn last is employed, recessing of the ou-tsole may be minimized or omitted.

Preferably and as illustrated, the insole is channeled at the forepart by an inside channel, the cut extending at a sharply acute angle to its inner or last-engaging face outwardly toward its outer or upper-engaging face, the bottom of the cut terminating in a point which is at a distance equal to the thickness of the upper materials from the outer face of the insole and at a distance from the edge of the insole equal to the width of the overlasted portion which the upper is to have in the completed shoe. The insole is also channeled from the breast line along the shank to the toe and from the toe back to the breast line again by an outside channel, the cut extending from the edge face of the insole preferably parallel to the outer face of the insole and at a distance therefrom equal to the thickness of the upper materials so as to meet the cut first made at the forepart of the insole. It is to be understood. of course, that either of these channeling cuts may be made first or that they may be made simultaneously. Preferably, in connection with the outside channeling cut made parallel to the outer face of the insole, the marginal portion of the outer flap thus formed is removed. If desired, for a short distance at the toe end of the insole the two outs may not meet, so that a few readily severable fibers of the material hold the central portion of the insole to the marginal rim. Preferably, though not necessarily, the insole is now reinforced by cementing to the inner or last-engaging face thereof, a layer of thin material such, for example, as tough paper which forms a temporary binder between the central portion of the insole-and the marginal rim to prevent relative displacement of the central portion and the rim during the lasting operation. The outer flap on the outer margin of the insole is now turned inwardly and in upstanding relation to the bottom of the insole and the insole attached to the bottom of the last in the usual manner. The upper is now assembled upon the last and pulled over, cement applied to the opposed faces of the marginal portions of the upper materials at the sides of the shoe and to the margin of the ill-- sole, and the upper worked into lasted position over the margin of the insole and secured in lasted position, preferably by metallic fastenings such as staples, to the upstanding lip which, of course, at the forepart forms part of the central portion of the insole. During the lasting of the forepart of one side of the shoe the reinforcing material on the insole helps take the lasting stress which, of course, will be imme diately afterward balanced by the stress applied in lasting the other side of the forepart, thus removing the stress on the reinforcing material. After the upper has become fatigued and the cement has set, the lip formed on the central portion of the insole and the portion of the upper attached thereto, including the fastenings, are trimmed 01f, thus releasing the central portion of the insole for ready removal by severing its connection to the rim of the insole at the toe end, if such connection is provided, and stripping the central portion from the reins forcing material back to the ball line and then severing, for example with a knife, the central portion along the ball line, this out being preferably made at an inclination similar to the inclination on the inner edge of the margin of the insole. If the shoe is to have a sole permanently attached thereto by cement, the usual procedure Will be followed. If a last having a fiat forepart is employed, the outso-le, whether it is to be attached by cement or otherwise, will be reduced at its marginal portion to form therein a central area corresponding in size and shape to the recess formed in the insole by the removal of the central portion thereof. If a last having a round bottom, for example a turn last, is employed, only the usual marginal reduction of the outsole, if any, is required.

In other aspects the invention includes a method of making insoles and an insole resulting from the method.

These and other features of the invention will appear more fully from the following description when read in, connection with the accompanying drawing and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an insole prepared in accordance with this invention;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional detail views of an insole representing the successive channeling and attendant operations;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a shoe after the trimming of the upper and insole lip, a small portion being left untrimmed to show the condition of the shoe after the lasting operation;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail on the line VI--VI of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is" a perspective view illustrating the removal of the central portion of the insole;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view through the forepart of the shoe after the attachment of the outsole;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the forepart of an insole prepared asillustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, except that the central portion is left attached to the marginal portion at the toe end; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a shoe made over a turn last.

Referring now to my improved method of making shoes, in which the central portion of the insole is utilized to take the lasting stress and is readily removable after the lasting operation, an insole ill is first prepared as illustrated in Fig. 1. Around the forepart of the insole from ball line to ball line the central portion E2 of the insole is separated from the marginal portion i l by cuts extending entirely through the insole material, an upturned lip l8 being formed on the central portion of the insole to be utilized in the lasting operation, as will be explained. To the bottom of the insole at the forepart, a piece of reinforcing material 25 is attached by cement to retain the central portion [2 and the marginal portion M in their original relation to each other. One method of preparing the insole is first to form an inside channeling cut 2!, as illustrated in Fig. 2, extending from the inner or last-engaging face of the insole at a sharp inclination thereto outwardly toward its opposite or outer face, the bottom of the channel being located at a distance from the outer face of the insole equal to the thickness of the upper materials. This cut extends from the ball line at one side of the forepart around the forepart to the ball line on the other side thereof. The insole is next channeled by an outside channeling cut 22 made preferably parallel to the outer face of the insole and at a distance therefrom equal to the thickness of the upper materials, the marginal portion of the outer flap: thus formed being trimmed off as illustrated in Fig. 3. The channeling cut 22 is made from the breast linejon one side of the insole to the toe and from the toe along the other side of the insole to the breast line again. The reinforcing material 20, which may be strong paper, is preferably attached by cement to the inner face of the forepart of the insole so as to extend across the channel cut 2! and bind the central portion I2 to the marginal portion M. as illustrated in Fig. 4. The flap formed by the channeling cut 22 is now turned upwardly and inwardly to form the lip l8 which is integrally attached to the insole along the shank portion thereof but is integrally attached only to the central portion I2 at the forepart of the insole.

An insole thus prepared is attached to the bottom of a last, an. upper 25 assembled thereon and pulled over in the usual manner. The operations of lasting and trimming may now be performed as described in detail in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,932,545, granted October 31, 1933, and No. 2,017,856, granted October 22, 1935, in the name of George Goddu. Briefly explained, this method consists in applying cement such as water-dispersed rubber cement to the opposed faces of the lasting allowance of the upper materials 25 and to the mar ginal portion i l of the insole. The lasting allowance of the upper materials thus prepared'is Worked over the cemented face of the portion M of the insole and against the lip l8, a staple 28 being driven through the upper materials and lip E8 to hold the upper materials temporarily in lasted position. It will be seen that the lip l8 and the central portion l2 and not the marginal portion M of the insole have to take the reactive stress of the overlasted upper and that this stress is balanced on the two sides of the shoe after the upper has been completely lasted; During the lasting of the first side of the shoe the lasting stress is taken by the reinforcing material 253 which prevents displacement of the central portion of the insole relatively to the marginal portion. After the upper has become fatigued and set in lasted position the lip I8 and the marginal portion of the upper 26, including the staples 28, may safely be trimmed away, this trimming operation being preferably carried on from breast line to breast line through out the extent of the lip l8, as illustrated in Fig. 5 where a small'section of the lip l8 and attached upper materials has been left to show the condition of the materials after the lasting operation, thiscondition being also shown in section in Fig. 6. It will be understood that the toe and heel portions of the shoe may be lasted in any usual manner, such, for example, as in the manner described in the patents referred to above.

The central portion l2 of the insole may now be removed, as illustrated' in Fig. '7, by lifting up the toe end thereof, stripping it from the reinforcing layer 20 by pulling it rearwardly to the ball line and severing it,for example by a knife 30, along the ball line by a cut made at an inclination similar to 'that of the channeling cut 2|.

Under some conditions it may be desirable to leave the central portion of the insole l2 attached to the marginal portion M at the toe portion as well as the ball portion. Thus, as illustrated in Fig. 9, the channeling cut 2| may be discontinued for a short distance at the toe of the insole so that the central portion and the marginal portion will remain integrally attached at the portion 32. In this case, after'the upper has been lasted and trimmed, the integral portion 32 will be cut to sever the central portion !2 from the marginal portion i l, and the central portion 12 will be stripped back and severed at the ball line as previously described.

If desired, integral connections between the central portion i2 and the marginal portion I4, similar to that at 32, may be left at other points about the periphery of themargin'al portion, for example at the two sides of the forepart, in which case the reinforcing material 20 may be dispensed with. However, I prefer to employ the reinforcing material and to sever the central portion of the insole except at the ball line since the removal of the central portion after the lasting operation is thereby considerablyfacilitated.

If the outsole is to be permanently cementattached to the overlasted margin of the upper, that margin will be roughened as usual, as shown in Fig. 5, pryoxylin cement applied thereto and allowed to dry. A steel shank stiffener 34 is applied to theshank portion of the shoe in the usual manner, as illustrated in Fig. 5. An outsole 36 (Fig; 8) is recessed at its marginal portion an amount suflicient to accommodate the marginal rim l4 and the thickness of the overlasted marginal portions of the upper materials. In recessing the outsole a surface 38 is formed thereon to engage the outer face of the overlasted margin of the upper materials and a shoulderflfi is formed at an inclination corresponding to that of the channeling cut 2!; a projection 42 being thus formed on the central portion of the forepart of the outsole corresponding in-size and shape'tothe recess formed in the insole by the removal of the central'portion It, the inner face of the projection 42 being flush with the inner face of the marginal portion M of the insoleafter it is attached to the shoe. Cement will, of course, be applied to' the surfaces 38, MB- of the outsole and allowed to dry, and just before attachment the cement will be activated and the shoe and sole brought together and placed under pressure. If desired, of course, the outsole may be attached 'by through-and-throu'gh stitches, for example lock-stitches.

- The recessing of the'outsole may be minimized or avoided under some conditions as where round -bottom.- or .turn lasts are: employed, as illustrated in Fig. 10, where it will be seen that the last 44 has considerable curvature, so that the marginal portion of the insole and the overlasted margin of the upper are accommodated, and that an outsole 46 of uniform thickness may be employed, while still retaining the desired flat bottom at the forepart of the shoe.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which comprises severing the central portion of an insole from its marginal portion except at one or more points including the ball line,. cement-lasting the marginal portions of the upper materials to the margin of the insole, utilizing the central portion of the insole to take the stress due to the reaction of the upper materials until the cement has set, then removing the central portion of the insole, and attaching an outsole to the shoe.

2. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which comprises severing the central portion of an insole from its marginal portion except at one or more points including the ball line, cement-lasting the marginal portions of the upper materials to the margin of the insole, utilizing the central portion of the insole to take the stress due to the reaction of the upper materials until the cement has set, then removing the central portion of the insole, and attaching an outsole to the shoe, the marginal portion of the outsole being recessed to provide a projection in the central portion of its forepart to fill the opening formed in the insole by removal of the central portion.

3. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which comprises partially severing the central portion of the forepart of an insole from'the marginal portion by an inside channel directed from the inner surface of the insole toward its outer surface at a sharp inclination to the inner surface and outwardly of the insole, thereafter assembling the insole with an upper upon a last, working the upper into and securing it in lasted relation to the marginal portion of the insole, allowing the upper to become fatigued, then completing the severance of the central portion of the insole, removing the central portion of the insole, and attaching an outsole to the 7 shoe.

4. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which comprises severing the central portion of an insole from its marginal por tion except at the ball line, forming an upperattaching lip on the central portion of the insole, assembling the insole and an upper upon a last, applying cement to the opposed faces of the lasting allowance of the upper and to the margin of the insole, working the upper into lasted position over the margin of the insole and against the lip, securing the upper in lasted position to the lip by fastenings inserted through the upper and lip, allowing the cement to set, trimming oiT the lip and the portion of upper attached thereto including the fastenings, severing the central portion of the insole at the ball line and removing it from the shoe, and attaching an outsole having its margin so reduced that the central portion will fill the opening in the insole.

5. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which comprises severing the central. portion of an insole from its marginal por tion except at the ball line, forming an upper attaching lip on the central portion of the insole, assembling the insole and an upper upon a last, applying cement to the opposed faces of the lasting allowance of the upper and to the margin of the insole, working the upper into lasted position over the margin of the insole and against the lip, securing the upper in lasted position to the lip by staples inserted through the upper and lip, allowing the cement to set, trimming off the lip and the portion of upper attached thereto including the staples, severing the central portion of the insole at the ball line and removing it from the shoe, and attaching an outsole having its margin so reduced that the'central portion thereof will fill the opening in the insole and its inner surface will be flush with the inner surface of the margin of the insole.

6. That improvement in, methods of manufacturing shoes which comprises severing the'central portion of an insole from its marginal portion so as to form an upper-attaching lip on the central portion of the insole, cementing a reinforcing element on the inner face of the insole to retain the central portion in place, assembling the insole and an upper upon a last, applying cement to the opposed faces of the lasting allowance of the upper and to the margin of the insole, working the upper into lasted position over the margin of the insole and against the lip, securing the upper in lasted position to the lip by fastenings inserted through the upper and lip, allowing the cement to set, thereafter trimming off the lip and the portion of upper attached thereto including the fastenings, stripping the central portion of the insole from the reinforcing element and removing it from the shoe, and attaching an outsole in contact with the overlasted portion of the upper.

7. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which comprises severing the central portion of the insole from its marginal: portion except at the ball line so as to form an upper-attaching lip on the central portion of the insole, assembling the insole and an upper upon a last, applying cement to the opposed faces of the lasting allowance of the upper and to the margin of the insole, working the upper into lasted position over the margin of the insole and against the lip, securing the upper in lasted position to the lip by fastenings inserted through the upper and lip, allowing the cement to set, thereafter trimming 01f the lip and the portion of upper attached thereto including the fastenings, severing the central portion of the insole at the ball line, removing the central portion of the insole from the shoe, and attaching an outsole in contact with the overlasted margin of the upper.

8. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which comprises severing the central portion of an insole from its marginal portion except at the ball line so as to form an upper-attaching lip on the central portion of the insole, cementing a reinforcing element to the inner face of the insole to retain the central portion in place, assembling the insole and an upper upon a last, applying cement to the opposed faces of the lasting allowance of the upper and to the margin of the insole, working the upper into lasted position over the margin of the insole and against the lip, securing the upper in lasted position to the lip [by fastenings inserted through the upper and lip, allowing the cement to set, there-after trimming oif the lip and the portion of upper attached thereto including the fastenings, severing the central portion from the insole at the ball line, stripping it from the reinforcing element and removing it from the shoe, and attaching an outsole having its margin so reduced that its central portion will fill. the opening in the insole.

9. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which consists in channeling an insole on its inner face from the ball line around the toe to the ball line at a substantial distance from its edge and part way through the insole thus partially severing the central portion around the forepart of the insole, channeling inwardly from the edge face of the insole to meet the first cut thus forming a lip attached to the central portion of the insole, assembling the insole with an upper upon a last, applying cement to the upper and margin of the insole, working the upper into lasted relation to the marginal portion of the insole to be secured by cement, temporarily attaching the inner portion of the lasting allowance of the upper to the lip on the central portion of the insole, allowing the cement to set and the upper to become fatigued, then trimming off the lip and the portion of the lasting allowance secured thereto, severing the connection of the-central portion of the insole to the insole at the ball line, removing the central portion of the'insole, and attaching an outsole to the shoe,rthe outsole being so recessed at its marginal portion that the central portion thereof will fill the space once occupied by the central portion of the insole.

10. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which comprises partially severing the central portion of an insole from its maropposed faces of the lasting allowance of the upper and to the margin of the insole, working the upper into lasted position over the margin of the insole, securing'the upper'inlasted position to the lip by metallic fastenings inserted through the upper and lip, allowing the cement to set, trimming off the lip and the portion of upper attached thereto including the fastenings, severing the central portion from the insole along the ball line, removing the central. portion, and attaching an outsole having its margin so reduced that its central portion will fill the opening in the insole. l

11. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which consists in channeling an insole from the ball line around the toe to the ball line at a substantial distance from its edge, thus partially severing the central portion, channeling inwardly from the edge face of the insole parallel to its outer face and at a distance therefrom equal to the thickness of the upper material to meet the first channel, thus severing the central portion of the insole except at the ball line and forming an upper-attaching portion integral with the central portion of the insole, assembling the insole with an upper upon a last, applying cement between the layers of upper material and on the margin of the insole, working the upper into lasted relation to the marginal portion of the insole, temporarily attaching the inner portion of the lasting allowance of the upper to the upper-attaching portion of the central portion of the insole, allowing the cement to set and the upper to become fatigued, then trimming off the upper-attaching portion and the portion of the lasting allowance secured thereby, severing the central portion of the insole at the ball line, removing the central portion, and attaching an outsole to the shoe, the outsole being marginally recessed to cause its central portion to fill the space previously occupied by the central portion of the insole.

12. That improvement in methods of manufacturing shoes which comprises channeling an insole from the ball line around the toe to the ball line at a substantial distance from its edge thus partially severing the central portion, channeling from the edge face of the insole inwardly to complete the severance of the central portion except at the ball line, thereby forming a Welt-like rim around the forepart of the insole and a lip projecting from the central portion of the insole, assembling the insole with an upper upon a last, cementing the lasting allowance of the upper and the marginal rim of the insole, working the upper into lasted relation to the marginal rim in position to be secured by cement, temporarily attaching the inner portion of the lasting allowance of the upper to the lip on the central portion of the insole, allowing the cement to set and the upper to become fatigued, then trimming off the lip and the portion of the lasting allowance secured thereto, severing the connection of the central portion to the insole at the ball line, removing the central portion of the insole, and attaching an outsole to the shoe, the outsole being so recessed at its marginal portion that the central portion thereof will fill the space once occupied by the central portion of the insole.

13. That improvement in methods of making insoles which comprises forming an inside channel in the inner face of the sole and an outside channel in the edge face of the sole about the forepart which channels meet so that the central portion of the insole is severed from the marginal portion except at the ball line.

tion of the insole, the outside channel meeting the inside channel so that the central portion of the insole is severed from the marginal portion except at the ball line 15. That improvement in methods of making insoles which comprises forming an inside channel on the inner face of the forepart, forming an outside channel about the periphery of the insole except the heel-seat portion, the outside channel meeting the inside channel about the forepart so that the central portion of the insole is severed from the marginal portion and has an integral flap or lip capable of being utilized as an upper-attaching portion.

16. That improvement in methods of making insoles which comprises forming an inclined inside channel on the inner face of the forepart, forming an outside channel about the periphery of the forepart parallel to the outer face of the insole and spaced therefrom an amount equal to the thickness of the upper materials to be used, the outside channel meeting the inside channel about the forepart so that the central portion of the insole is severed from the marginal portion except at the ball line and has an integral flap or lip capable of being utilized as an upperattaching portion.

1'7. An insole for shoes having the central portion of its forepart separated from the marginal portion except at the ball line, said central portion having a lip suitable for attachment thereto of a lasted upper.

18. An insole for shoes having the central portion of its forepart separated from the marginal portion except at the ball line and having a reinforcing layer cemented to the inner face of the marginal portion.

19. An insole for shoes having the central portion of its forepart separated from the marginal portion-except at the ball line, said central portion having a lip suitable for attachment thereto of a lasted upper, the central portion being detachably held in its original relation to the marginal portion by a reinforcing layer cemented to the central and marginal portions.

JOSEPH KEEFER. 

